Cornmeal Waffles

Cornmeal Waffles
Adapted from epicurious.com

My quest for the ultimate cornmeal waffles is over because I have found the most amazing cornmeal waffle recipe. I've been on a waffle craze the last two weekends. Partly because my husband loves waffles and I love the challenge to make healthy waffles he will enjoy. I made an Almond Flour Waffle last weekend which we enjoyed and this weekend, I made a cornbread waffle. While I thought that cornbread waffles turned out good, I still wanted to continue my search for a better one. I came across this recipe which I think is the ULTIMATE cornmeal waffles. After my first bite of these waffles, my search is over. I can't imagine there could be a better cornmeal waffle recipe more superior than this recipe I'm about to post. If you love cornbread, you will love these waffles. And the best part is that it's 100% WHOLE-GRAIN. What I love about these waffles besides tasting like a very delicious cornbread, these waffles are crispy on the exterior and tender and light on the interior. It has a bit of a grainy texture from the cornmeal, but this is the texture of cornbread. This recipe does not contain any type of sweeteners, but you can add some sweetness to this batter if you like. If you are going to eat these waffles with maple syrup (hopefully 100% pure) or any type of syrup of your choice, you don't need to add any sweetener to this batter. I'm thinking these waffles will be perfect along with something savory, like Chicken a la King or even a thick chili or a hearty stew or even fried chicken (chicken and waffles). Waffles are not only served for breakfast. It's becoming a trend on the west coast to serve waffles with something savory.

1 cup WHITE whole wheat flour (4.3 ounces)
1 cup Bob's Red Mill brand FINE grind cornmeal (4.8 ounces)
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs (5.4 to 5.7 ounces)
2 cups well-shaken cultured low-fat buttermilk (16 ounces)
6 tablespoons organic unrefined coconut oil or butter, melted (3 ounces)

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well with a whisk to combine all the ingredients together. Set aside.

In a large-size bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the buttermilk and whisk together until blended. Add the coconut oil and whisk everything together until well blended.

Add the flour mixture all at once to the buttermilk mixture and stir gently with a pastry fork or a whisk just until combined. Set aside to thickened for about 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron for about 15 to 20 minutes. Coat waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup of batter for two 4-inch thick waffles onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to the edges with a spatula. Cook for 4 minutes or until steaming stops. Repeat cooking procedure with remaining batter.

Serve waffles with 100% pure maple syrup over waffles.

 

Keep waffles warm by placing waffles on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack, uncovered, in the center of a preheated oven at 200 degrees.

 

Store any leftover waffles in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To reheat, place waffles in a toaster.

Yield eleven 4-inch thick waffles

One waffle with 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup is about 245 calories. Each waffle is about 195 calories and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup is about 50 calories.

Almond Flour Pancakes or Waffles

Almond Flour Pancakes or Waffles
Adapted from The Roasted Root

I love this pancake recipe from The Roasted Root. It's a very simple recipe to put together early in the morning and it's also quite delicious and wholesome. Almond meal flour are finely ground almonds. It's so finely ground that it looks like a powder. Almond meal flour can be purchase at most supermarkets. A popular brand would be Bob's Red Mill. You can also find almond meal flour at Whole Foods Market or other health food stores sold in packages or bulk bins. Most almond meal flour are made from blanched skinless almonds so the flour is a creamy white color. Trader Joe's sells almond meal flour at a very reasonable price. Trader Joe's almond meal flour are ground with their skins so the flour have dark brown specks. You can use either brands. Because almond meal flour is nothing more than finely ground almonds, you will taste the nutty graininess from the ground almonds in your pancake. I don't mind the grainy texture. My husband does not like this texture so he didn't care for the pancake. This morning, I decided to be adventurous to try making waffles with the same pancake batter and it worked. My husband enjoyed the waffle version a lot more than the pancakes. With me, I like them cooked both ways. So it's nice that this batter works well cooked as a pancake or as a waffle.

1-3/4 cups almond meal flour (5.9 ounces)
1 tablespoon organic natural cane sugar (0.3 ounce)
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten (3.6 ounces)
3/4 cup UNSWEETENED fresh coconut milk, almond or soy milk (6 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the almond meal flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a small whisk or a fork, stir mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, coconut milk and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Add the almond meal flour mixture. Using a pastry fork or a whisk, gently stir everything together just until combined. Set aside to allow the batter to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to thicken.

 

For PANCAKES: Lightly wipe a light coating of oil on the inside of a 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat it over medium-high heat (6.5 on induction cook top) until hot. When pan is hot, add three scant 1/4 cup batter to the pan. You will hear the pancake batter lightly sizzle as you add the batter to the pan.

 

 

Let it cook on the first side for 4 minutes. Flip each pancake over and cook the second side for 2 minutes.

 

 

Serve with 100% pure maple syrup.

 

Yield nine 3-1/2-inch size pancakes.

 

For three pancakes plus 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup, the calorie count is about 445 calories. Each pancake by itself is about 132 calories. 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup is about 50 calories.

 

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For WAFFLES: Preheat a waffle iron for about 15 to 20 minutes. Coat waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup of batter for two 4-inch thick waffles onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to the edges with a spatula. Cook for 4 minutes or until steaming stops. Repeat cooking procedure with remaining batter.

 

 

Store any leftover waffles in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To reheat, place waffles in a toaster.

 

 

Yield five 4-inch waffles

One waffle with 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup is about 287 calories. Each waffle is about 237 calories and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup is about 50 calories.

Pickled Red Onions

Pickled Red Onions

Adapted from Food Network

 

These pickled red onions are great condiments to tacos or any Mexican dishes, sandwiches, bugers, or salads.

 

 

1-1/2 cups white vinegar (12 ounces)

6 tablespoons organic cane sugar (1.8 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1-1/2 large red onions, thinly sliced (12 ounces)

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed

 

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Mixture does not need to come to a boil. Remove from heat and add the onions and oregano. Let the mixture cool before transferring to a 24-ounce jar (photo above is an old 24-ounce Safeway Select salsa jar). Keep at room temperature for about 6 hours; then place in the refrigerator for several weeks.

 

Yield 24 ounces

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

Adapted from Simply Recipes

 

When Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes first tweeted about her new recipe post, I knew that her Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork was what I wanted to cook on Super Bowl Sunday. I didn't realize that finding a boneless pork shoulder roast on the day before Super Bowl would be so difficult. It did not occur to me that pork shoulder (boston butt) is a popular meat on Super Bowl. My first stop was at Whole Foods Market at $4.99 per pound. The pork shoulder roast was nicely trimmed, tied and roast-ready, but the price was not appealing to me. My second stop was at Sprouts Farmers Market which the pork shoulder roast was completely sold out at $1.99 per pound. I was staring at the empty display thinking that I could of spend half the price, but came too late. My third stop was at Safeway. Also at $1.99 per pound, there were only two packages of boneless pork shoulder remaining. All I can see is 1 inch of fat on both packages. I could feel my arteries clogging just looking at the thick layer of fat going through the meat. It wasn't hard for me to make a decision to return to Whole Foods Market and spend the money for quality meat. That is what I did and ask the butcher for the leanest cut he can find and I was done. That evening, I untie the pork roast as instructed in Elise's recipe. I'm thinking I'm going to find a huge chunk of fat hidden in the center of the meat, but it was pretty lean. Whole Foods Market did great! I did remove a little bit of fat from the roast (after all, it is a pork shoulder), but there were no regrets paying extra for quality meat at Whole Foods Market. And the Mexican Pulled Pork, it turned out delicious! It was tender and full of flavor.

 

 

4 tablespoons chili powder (0.5 ounce)

1 tablespoon brown sugar (0.3 ounce)

4 teaspoons kosher salt (0.5 ounce)

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon of ground cloves

4 to 4.25 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast (leanest as possible)

 

Whisk together the first 12 ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

If the roast is tied up with butcher string, untie it. Remove as much visible fat as possible. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Generously rub the spice mix into the roast all over, reserving any leftover spice mix for later. Place roast in a large plastic bag and refrigerate to marinate in the rub overnight.

 

The next day, heat a frying pan on medium high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. (If you are using a slow cooker with a removable insert that can be used on the stove top, use that, otherwise use a separate pan.) Place the roast in the pan and brown on all sides. Transfer roast to the slow cooker and add any reserved spice rub. Cook on the low setting for 7 to 8 hours, until the pork is fall apart tender.

 

Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Cut into large chunks. Then use two forks to pull the meat apart into bite-size shreds. Degrease the juice in the slow cooker. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and toss to coat with the juice from the roast.

 

Serve with corn tortillas, pickled red onions, sliced avocados, salsa, Mexican Cabbage Slaw and cilantro.

 

Time to eat!

Yield 8 servings

Toasts with ...

Toasts with ...

 

... Banana and Toasted Walnuts

Toasted 100% whole-grain bread; cut a medium-size ripe banana (4.3 ounces) into large chunks; slightly mash half of the banana chunks and spread on the toast first, then pile the rest of the banana chunks on top; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon organic unrefined coconut palm sugar OR organic maple sugar OR drizzle with 1 teaspoon of 100% pure maple syrup; and lastly, sprinkle 1 tablespoon toasted chopped walnuts on top (0.3 ounces).

(285 calories)

 

 ... Mashed Avocado

Toasted 100% whole-grain bread, spread mashed one-half of a medium-size avocado (2.0 ounces), sprinkle with salt and generous amount of coarsely ground pepper.

(210 calories)

 

 ... Havarti Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms

Toasted 100% whole-grain bread, layer 1 ounce slice of Havarti cheese to fit nicely on top of the toast and top with sauteed cremini mushrooms. Toast in the toaster oven until cheese melts.

(300 calories) 

 

... Ricotta Cheese and Pistachios

(adapted from Cooking Light)

Recipe posted here.

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives and Capers

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives and Capers

 

I purchase some jarred oven baked tomatoes at Costco during the holidays. I was planning to use them as part of my antipasto platter on Christmas day, but I forgot I had them. The jarred oven baked tomatoes comes in a 3-pack at Costco. They tasted pretty good and I hope they will be a regular item at Costco. Along with some kalamata olives I had remaining from Christmas, I came up with this easy, healthy and delicious pasta dish. Not only is this a great weeknight dinner, this is also a great summertime pasta dish because there is very little cooking needed. You only need to cook the pasta.

10 ounces drained (reserve the oil) Sacla Italia brand Oven Baked Tomatoes with Garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup reserved oil from the jarred Oven Baked Tomatoes OR extra-virgin olive oil (3.4 ounces)
3.0 ounces pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and drained, coarsely chopped
2.0 ounces capers, rinsed and drained, coarsely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely minced (0.8 ounces)
1.0 ounce basil leaves, chiffonade
Taste before adding salt to taste (you may not need salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound 100% whole-grain spaghetti or linguine pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2.0 ounces)

In a very large bowl, combined the tomatoes, reserved oil, kalamata olives, capers, garlic, basil, salt to taste, if using and pepper. Mix until combined and set aside. Can prepare up to this point 4 to 6 hours ahead and keep tomato-olive mixture refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap. Remove bowl from the refrigerator to sit out at room temperature 1 hour before cooking the pasta.

 

Cook the whole-grain pasta in salted boiling water for about 11 to 13 minutes or al dente. Drain pasta and immediately add the hot pasta to the tomato-olive mixture. Toss everything to thoroughly combine. Toss in the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese on top and pasta is ready to eat. You can also add some toasted pine nuts, if desired.

 

Mmmmm...SO DELICIOUS...SO HEALTHY...SO EASY TO MAKE! It is delicious eaten right away, but tastes even better the next day. I can eat it cold right out of the fridge.
ENJOY!
Yield 4 to 6 servings

Whole-Grain Toast with Ricotta and Pistachios

Whole-Grain Toast with Ricotta and Pistachios

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

  

 

I have to include my new breakfast obsession on my blog. I have been eating this toast every morning for the last five days. It starts out with a toasted whole-grain bread, then spread with ricotta cheese, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with roasted pistachio nuts, and season with salt and pepper. This toast is on page 96 of the January/February issue of Cooking Light magazine. Also shown on this page are four other types of toppings you can spread on your toast, but I haven't gotten pass the first one which is Ricotta-Pistachio Toast:

 

First, start out with 100% whole-grain bread. I'm obsessed with Dave's Killer Bread - Powerseed Bread (110 calories and 6 grams of fiber per slice). Toast the bread.



Spread 2 tablespoons of part-skim ricotta cheese (1.0 ounce) evenly on the toast.
 

 

Next, drizzle 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (0.1 ounce) over the ricotta cheese.

 

 

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of roasted chopped or crushed pistachio nuts (0.3 ounce) evenly on the toast. I used Trader Joe's brand dry-roasted, salted pistachio halves and pieces. Then sprinkle with fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

 

Enjoy!

The extra-virgin olive oil on the ricotta imparts a nice fruity olive flavor that works well with the pistachios. The pistachios has a dense, meaty texture that give a satisfying crunch with every delicious bite and chew! And not to mention, pistachios are antioxidant powerhouses, which is great for helping to fight against free radicals.

 

I calculated 246 calories for this toast while Cooking Light calculated 176 calories. I guess it depends on the type of bread you toast or the brand of ricotta cheese you use?